Exemplary embodiments relate to control and manipulation of devices, and more specifically, to controlling devices that position materials at the nanoscale level.
The advent of new techniques to explore properties of near atomic-scale structures has led to the development of the new field of nanotechnology. In the past decade, it has become evident that nanotechnology will make fundamental contributions to science and technology. Inevitably, most schemes of nanotechnology impose severe specifications on positioning.
Precision control and manipulation of devices and materials at the nanoscale, i.e., nanopositioning, is a timely and important aspect of research in nanotechnology. In nanopositioning, one works with mechatronic systems which are designed to move objects over a small range with a resolution down to a fraction of an atomic diameter. The desired attributes of these nanopositioners are extremely high resolution, accuracy, stability, and fast response. The key to successful nanopositioning is accurate position sensing and feedback control of the motion. High accuracy, high bandwidth, and repeatable nanopositioning are a key enabling technology for a variety of applications ranging from scanning-probe microscopy and molecular biology to nanolithography and data storage. One of the key issues in nanopositioning is the trade-off between high bandwidth of the control loop and its sensitivity to measurement noise.